Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Republicans Will Delay Vote on Trumpcare Wealthcare Bill

In a style rather typical of the Republican party, President Trump and those GOP members who worked on this latest version of relentless Republican efforts to "repeal and replace" Obamacare were trying to push through their most recent healthcare bill. The first version, which would have had an estimated 24 million people lose healthcare within 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), failed.

The second version, which President Trump himself described as "mean," passed the House, but never went to a vote in the Senate. That version was estimated to cause 14 million Americans to lose their health insurance by 2018, and would see an estimated 23 million people lose their health insurance within ten years, according to the CBO, also would have failed to pass the Senate. It never even directly went to the Senate for a vote.

Instead, they Senate GOP leaders took that bill as the basis for this latest version, which is basically just as disastrous. Now, the one good thing is that it would make healthcare for the youngest and fittest Americans actually cheaper, but it would make healthcare costs for people over 50 more expensive. Also, again according to the CBO, as estimated 22 million Americans would lose their health insurance.

Of course, Republicans are not all in agreement. Moderate Republicans, knowing the unpopularity of the bill according to most Americans polled (more Americans were opposed to this bill than for it, by a ratio of more than three to one), with those against numbering some 55 percent, while those who supported it were less than 20 percent of those polled, at an underwhelming 17 percent. Many Americans still said that they did not have enough information about it to say definitely how they felt, one way or the other. Despite all of this, Republican "leaders" are working hard to try and force this thing through and impose it on the American people.

My question is will the American people hold them accountable?

Perhaps. But Americans have allowed politicians, and especially Republican politicians, to get away with crimes and horrendous policies time and time and time again. So, I am not holding my breath.

Sure, there is a chance that Americans will remember, and then will vote the bums out.

But will either this healthcare bill resolve the numerous problems of our healthcare failures in this country, rather than adding to them and making things worse? And will Americans really hold the Republicans feet to the fire.

Well, the image in my head right now is of Tom, from Tom and Jerry, getting physically punished, and saying in that distinct voice, "Don't you believe it!"

Yet, there are some Republicans, particularly the hard-liners and Tea Party contingent, who suggest that this healthcare bill does not go nearly far enough towards "repealing and replacing" Obamacare.

All of this suggest that the bill has a fair chance of failing, as the other two versions did. However, since Republican leaders are working so hard to try and push this thing through, and trying to add compromises to those GOP members currently opposed, there is also a chance that it will pass, which would be disastrous.

No matter how some Republican leaders try to justify it, such as Paul Ryan's suggestion that these millions of Americans who are projected to lose their insurance are essentially "choosing" to go without healthcare, the fact of the matter is that this healthcare bill is very bad for the country.

This bill has been called multiple things. Each version has received the moniker of Trumpcare, and the earlier versions were also sometimes known as Ryancare. Now, this version is sometimes being referred to as McConnellcare, although that is not the only name that is being used to describe it. Some people are already calling it the "Welfare Bill," for obvious reasons. Again in typical GOP fashion, it would benefit the wealthy, while hurting the rest. In other words, the vast majority of Americans, especially those who need the most help.

Once again, this country seems to be going in the wrong direction, in not only the exact opposite direction that it should be going, but in the opposite direction than the rest of the world, as well. Instead of learning from other countries (and remember, no less a prominent politician than President Trump himself admitted that Australia's healthcare system was superior to our own here in the United States), we are hunkering down, digging the trenches deeper, and putting all of our trips on our American exceptionalist attitudes. We will do it better, and those who subscribe to this viewpoint rather typically are favoring the rich and corporations at the expense of the rest of us.

Some things never change.

If you are outraged like me, you might want to go ahead and call the Republican party and let them know! Here's there contact number (it helps if you suggest that you are and always have been a Republican, by the way):